When we talk about the universe, planets and stars, we always talk about astronomy. However, many people do not know well what is astronomyWhat is he studying and what is he focused on? Also, there are many people who confuse astronomy with astrology and there are notable differences.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you what astronomy is, its characteristics and what it studies.
what is astronomy
Astronomy is known as the science dedicated to the study of the celestial bodies of the universe: stars, planets, moons, comets, meteorites, galaxies and all interstellar matter, and their interactions and movements.
It is an ancient science because the firmament and its mysteries were one of the first unknowns that man considered, providing mythological or religious answers in many cases. It is also one of the few sciences that currently allows its fans to participate.
Also, astronomy not only exists as a science in its own right, but also accompanies other fields of knowledge and other disciplines, such as navigation—especially in the absence of maps and compasses—and more recently physics, for its understanding of fundamental laws. Understanding the universe. Observing the behavior of the universe has proven to be of enormous and unparalleled value.
Thanks to astronomy, humanity has achieved some of the greatest scientific and technological milestones of modern times, such as interstellar travel, positioning the Earth in the Milky Way, and detailed observations of the atmospheres and surfaces of planetary systems, including those many light-years away from our planet. To learn more about the discoveries that have impacted astronomy, you can read about the Kepler asteroid, one of the notable finds. You can also explore the white hole challenge in modern astronomy.
History
Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences of humanity, since the stars and celestial bodies have captured their attention and curiosity since ancient times. The great scholars of this subject were ancient philosophers such as Aristotle, Thales of Miletus, Anaxagoras, Aristarchus of Samos or Ipaco of Nicea, scientists such as Nicolás Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei and Edmund Halley, or contemporary experts such as Stephen Hawkins.
The ancients studied the sky, the moon, and the sun in such detail that The ancient Greeks already knew that the earth was round, but they believed that the stars revolved around the earth, not the other way around. This continued until the late Middle Ages in Europe, when the Scientific Revolution called into question the universal foundations on which many religions were practiced.
Later, in the 20th century, the new advanced technologies available to humanity led to a greater understanding of light, which led to a greater understanding of telescopic observation techniques, which led to a new understanding of the universe and its constituent elements. Research into light represents one of the great current challenges of modern astronomy.
branches of astronomy
Astrophysics uses mathematical formulas to explain the properties and phenomena of celestial bodies.
Astronomy includes the following branches or subfields:
- Astrophysics. The application of physics to astronomy, explaining celestial properties and phenomena, formulating laws, measuring sizes and mathematically expressing results through formulas.
- astrogeology. Known as extraterrestrial geology or planetary geology, it is about applying the knowledge acquired in excavations and terrestrial observations on Earth to other celestial bodies whose composition can be known at a distance, including the Moon and Mars, by sending probes to collect samples. of rocks.
- Astronautics. With so many observations of the stars, man began to dream of visiting them. Astronautics is precisely the branch of science that seeks to make this dream possible.
- Celestial mechanics. The result of a collaboration between classical or Newtonian mechanics and astronomy, the discipline focuses on the movement of celestial bodies due to the gravitational effects exerted on them by other more massive bodies.
- planetology. Also known as planetary science, it focuses on accumulating knowledge about the known and unknown planets, those that make up our solar system and those farthest away. This ranges from meteorite-sized objects to massive gas giant planets.
- X-ray astronomy. Along with other branches of astronomy that specialize in the study of types of radiation or light (electromagnetic radiation), this branch constitutes specialized methods for measuring X-rays from outer space and the conclusions that can be drawn from them about the universe.
- Astrometry. It is the branch in charge of measuring astronomical position and movement, that is, mapping the observable universe in some way. It is perhaps the oldest of all branches.
What is it for
The main objective of any scientific investigation is to expand knowledge. However, this knowledge can also have practical applications. The first astronomical discoveries made it possible to calculate the passage of time, the changes of seasons and tides, and the position in space, because knowledge of the stars allows us to use them as celestial maps indicating the positions of the cardinal points.
At present, astronomy requires technological advances in optics and electronics that can be applied to other branches of science, such as medicine and biology. Understanding the behavior of stars expands our knowledge of physics and allows us to consider, for example, Kepler's laws. This knowledge allows us to put satellites into orbit whose communications depend on the entire Earth. In addition, there are astronomy books that delve into these topics.
Astrology and astronomy
Astrology is considered a doctrine of interpretation without scientific basis. The difference between the two disciplines is fundamental. When we talk about astronomy, we mean a science that is logically measured and verified using the scientific method, can be refuted, and is based on analyzable experiments and theories, supported by mathematics.
Astrology, for its part, is a "mystery science" or pseudoscience, that is, a theory of interpretation of reality without any scientific basis, nor does it respond to verifiable factual knowledge from other fields, but rather relies on its own theory to maintain its own. Exclusive rules of the game. If astronomy is the scientific understanding of the universe, astrology is the explanation of terrestrial phenomena through arbitrary drawings drawn among the stars. To delve deeper into these differences, you can visit the article on astronomy and astrology.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about what astronomy is and what it studies.